Africa-Press – Angola. Center position Jilson Bango, playing for Fenerbahçe of Turkey, is recovering after undergoing surgery on his left knee last Saturday at a hospital in Atasehir, due to an injury sustained during the Afrobasket 2025 tournament, held in the country last August.
According to a statement from the Turkish club, the operation was successful and the athlete will now begin the recovery process, with no set timetable for his return to competition yet. The 26-year-old Angolan center suffered a cruciate ligament injury in his left knee during the finals match against Cape Verde.
Up until his forced withdrawal, Bango had already scored nine points, making him one of the team’s standout performers. The absence of the player, considered a pillar of the national team, represented a significant loss for the Angolan team, which ended up reinventing itself and winning its 12th Afrobasket continental title
on home soil.
Despite being sidelined, Jilson Bango remained a beacon of grit and motivation among his teammates, supporting the team throughout the remainder of the competition. He began his sports career with youth clubs, including Marinha de Guerra and 1o de Agosto.
In 2022, he transferred to the German Basketball Bundesliga, joining Braunschweig. In 2024, he signed with Basket Zaragoza in Spain (Liga ACB). In February 2025, he left Zaragoza for Fenerbahçe (Turkey), a contract that runs until the end of the 2026-27 season.
Key Statistics and recent performances
In the ACB League (Spain), with Zaragoza, Bango averaged approximately 13.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. In the FIBA Europe Cup, also with Zaragoza, he averaged similar averages of 14 points and 5 to 6 rebounds.
In the German Bundesliga, in the 2023-24 season, he averaged 13.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
Titles and Honors
EuroLeague champion with Fenerbahçe in the 2024-25 season, winner of the Turkish Super League, and winner of the Turkish Cup with Fenerbahçe in the same season. Nationally: He won the Angola Cup with 1o de Agosto.
Individual awards in Angola: MVP of the Unitel Basket regular season in 2021 and 2022 and best rebounder in 2021. Bango has two Afroabskets, the first in 2021 in Rwanda, where the Angolan five-pointer finished fifth.
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
